New Algorithm for Fast Processing RFID System in Container Terminal

The growth of world economic and increasing of trading in most of countries has impact to the number of containers export and import between countries. Some of container terminal is very busy to handle high volume of container movement. Conventional operational procedures have difficulties to handle containers movement then make slow and some issues in terminal operation for container clearance. This paper discus on proposing new algorithm to the current container terminal management system used RFID technology for fast processing and clearance. Container Terminal Management System (CTMS) is a system for port management and interface to the RFID system that used to identify container e-seal, truck and driver identity. Lack of communication and interfacing protocol made slow response during request or reply of message to the gate operator. Proposed algorithm with new procedure of request to CTMS made faster response and avoid inaccuracy of detecting container e-seal. Results of implementation new algorithm have improved to the productivity and efficiency of container terminal. Testing and implementation of this proposed system conducted in a private container terminal in Malaysia

Sequence-Based Simulation-Optimization Framework With Application to Port Operations at Multimodal Container Terminals

It is evident in previous works that operations research and mathematical algorithms can provide optimal or near-optimal solutions, whereas simulation models can aid in predicting and studying the behavior of systems over time and monitor performance under stochastic and uncertain circumstances. Given the intensive computational effort that simulation optimization methods impose, especially for large and complex systems like container terminals, a favorable approach is to reduce the search space to decrease the amount of computation. A maritime port can consist of multiple terminals with specific functionalities and specialized equipment. A container terminal is one of several facilities in a port that involves numerous resources and entities. It is also where containers are stored and transported, making the container terminal a complex system. Problems such as berth allocation, quay and yard crane scheduling and assignment, storage yard layout configuration, container re-handling, customs and security, and risk analysis become particularly challenging. Discrete-event simulation (DES) models are typically developed for complex and stochastic systems such as container terminals to study their behavior under different scenarios and circumstances. Simulation-optimization methods have emerged as an approach to find optimal values for input variables that maximize certain output metric(s) of the simulation. Various traditional and nontraditional approaches of simulation-optimization continue to be used to aid in decision making. In this dissertation, a novel framework for simulation-optimization is developed, implemented, and validated to study the influence of using a sequence (ordering) of decision variables (resource levels) for simulation-based optimization in resource allocation problems. This approach aims to reduce the computational effort of optimizing large simulations by breaking the simulation-optimization problem into stages. Since container terminals are complex stochastic systems consisting of different areas with detailed and critical functions that may affect the output, a platform that accurately simulates such a system can be of significant analytical benefit. To implement and validate the developed framework, a large-scale complex container terminal discrete-event simulation model was developed and validated based on a real system and then used as a testing platform for various hypothesized algorithms studied in this work

Strategies to Improve Marine Inspection Performance in the U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Coast Guard leaders have received feedback concerning gaps in performance management of the Marine Inspection Program (MIP) from maritime industry stakeholders, Department of Homeland Security representatives, and internal agents over the past decade. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies to improve performance in the U.S. Coast Guard MIP. Data were gathered through a review of documentation pertinent to marine inspection (i.e., policy, requirements, analyses, reports, and job aids) and 13 semistructured interviews with personnel from 3 distinct organizational levels. Study participants represented civilian and active duty personnel from all geographical U.S. Coast Guard districts, as well as tactical, strategic, and policy levels of the MIP. The conceptual framework of the study was Fusch and Gillespie\u27s human competence model. Data analysis was based on coding of words, phrases, and sentences from multiple sources of data to identify recurring themes through methodological triangulation. The thematic analysis of the study data revealed themes that included lack of mission clarity, limited information management resources, differences in skills and knowledge management among inspectors, and unclear requirements for selecting a marine inspector. The study framework provided a basis for additional performance management research in government entities. The recommendations from this study may lead to social change through improved U.S. Coast Guard marine inspection services, which could result in greater safety, reduced pollution, and fewer security risks in the navigable waterways of the United States